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Cats’ Night Crazies Driving You Crazy?

Whether it’s to play, snack
or cuddle, what’s endearingly amusing during the day is emphatically annoying
at night.

But then, cats’ internal
clocks aren’t humans’ internal clocks, and being nocturnal by nature (they’re
most active from middle/late evening until the early hours of the morning), nighttime
activities come naturally to them. Given their kitty druthers, they would sleep
all day, rise between 8 and 9 PM, stretch, scratch and use the litter box, then
spend the rest of the night pussycat prowling and “paw-tying.”

Because
people are diurnal (we’re typically awake during the day and asleep at night), the
only way for sleep deprived cat guardians to reclaim their much needed zzz’s is
by resetting their prodding pets’ inner clocks through a dedicated program of
retraining.

Begin by scheduling playtime
during the day and early evening. Interactive toys are the most effective
because they satisfy a cat’s hunting skills by allowing her to do what she
would do in the wild: stalk, chase and finally capture.

After playing with your
cat, feed her a high-protein meal – again to simulate what would happen in the
wild: hunting down, killing and eating her prey.

Discourage all dozing off,
especially in the early evening.

If paws-ible, adopt a kitty
to keep yours company. Cats left alone during the day are more inclined to cat
nap those daylight hours away. But add a second friendly feline to the mix and
let the fun begin!

Since retraining takes time
(the precise amount of time depends on each cat and cat guardian), not only are
patience and persistence required, but more importantly, resisting the
temptation to “cheat.”

The most common one is
giving in to the temptation to “buy off” your cavorting and oh-so-clever kitty
by playing with or feeding her when she prods you awake. This both rewards and reinforces
her behavior and encourages her to persist.

And while frustration can
sometimes lead to physical punishment – from spraying your cat with water to
actually striking her – resist this temptation as well. Not only is it cruel,
but it will only instill fear in her.

If, however, kitty’s nighttime nuisancing continues, you may have to consider literally giving the persistent puss her own space. From a spare room to the laundry room, complete with her own, comfy cozy cat bed, favorite toys, and filled food and water bowls.